The tale of the fabled schooner, Rouse Simmons, is the most famous Christmas story to emerge from the Great Lakes. The ship, loaded with Christmas trees for Chicago, sailed into the year's worst storm and disappeared on November 23, 1912, taking with it Capt. Herman Scheunemann and about 15 others who were on board. Read about the many ships that carried Christmas trees, this one, tragic ship in particular, its jovial captain, his amazing family, the discovery of this shipwreck, and the modern rekindling of the Christmas Tree Ship tradition --as told by Cris Kohl and Joan Forsberg, two of the best-known Great Lakes maritime historians.